1. With what server and workstation operating systems is Provider compatible?
Provider is compatible with all Microsoft server operating systems from Windows NT Server® and forward. On the workstation side, PsychConsult is compatible with Windows NT®, 2000®, and XP®.

2. What server software is compatible or incompatible with this system?
Provider runs on a standard Intel-based server platform with the Windows operating system, and Microsoft SQL Server 2000® relational database management system.

3. How does this software work with software- and hardware-based security applications?
Provider integrates with the standard security available in SQL Server 2000. We have developed a Security Administration module that is used to administer security settings (password configurations, expirations, etc.). Users and user groups are also defined with this module.

4. Are there specific hardware recommendations for optimizing Provider’s performance?
We recommend that you have a dedicated server for your Provider production database. Optionally, a Citrix environment can be established to facilitate multi-user functionality.
To take full advantage of SQL Server 2000, we recommend a server with a minimum of four GB of RAM.

Each workstation should have at least 128 MB of RAM. Askesis recommends at least a Pentium III 500 MHz processor for each workstation; however, some Pentium II devices will function adequately

5. What telecommunication connectivity speeds are needed for ideal operation of this product?
Telecommunication speed requirements will vary based on the number of users at a given site. A 56K connection (dial-up) will work adequately for a single user. Business DSL connections are appropriate for five or fewer users at a single location. Larger numbers of users will require fractional T1 or full T1s.

Deployment of the system in a Citrix environment will require less bandwidth.
Askesis would be happy analyze your existing network infrastructure to determine whether it is appropriate for running PsychConsult Provider.

6. Is the system designed to operate effectively over a wide area network?
Yes. In most of our customer organizations, Provider is implemented as a wide-area network system.

7. What are your options for providing remote access capabilities? What limitations are there?
There are two options for remote access. The first is by connecting to the live database over a dial-up or other type of remote-connection. Many of our existing customers have set up their own remote connectivity infrastructures, into which Provider integrates very easily. With this option, we recommend that a secure VPN solution be implemented as well. Our customers are responsible for setting up their VPNs.

The second option, which is currently in a pilot deployment phase with two of our customers, involves a hand-held (Palm Pilot) device with wireless (cellular) or wire-line connectivity. Supported functions are:

• Downloading and scheduling of appointments;
• Charge capture of services; both scheduled and unscheduled services;
  
• Documentation of services; and
  
• Display of demographic, financial, and clinical data.

8. What provisions are there for data importing and exporting?
A simple table import and export utility exists within the application. MS SQL Server also offers import (bcp) and export capabilities.

1. Does the system support Medicare and Medicaid requirements and billing functions?
Provider supports all Medicare and Medicaid requirements, as well as treatment authorization, clinician credentialing, and other requirements of most governmental and commercial health insurance plans.

2. Does Provider produce a complete behavioral health electronic medical record?
Provider’s comprehensive, integrated clinical functionality produces a complete electronic history of patient contacts, diagnoses, services, and patient assignments. The addition of the TouchScripts module provides a complete electronic medication management history, and the Treatment Planning module, available in Version 5.5, completes each patient’s electronic medical record.

3. Does your system accommodate the combination of inpatient and outpatient scenarios?
Provider’s functionality accommodates individual and group outpatient and inpatient clinical programs, as well as tracking resource, locations, and bed availability and scheduling.

4. Is there a medication management function?
Askesis offers medication management functionality with the TouchScript product, which is integrated with Provider.

5. What are the document management and control features of the software?
For text-based documents, we have embedded Microsoft Word into the application, which allows for the creation of document templates to ensure document standards across your organization. Datawindow documents can be created for the capture of discreet data elements within documents.
Modifications to documents are only allowed by the author, and edit history through versioning is maintained.

6 How is reporting handled?
You can generate reports both by using Provider and its production database and/or Reports Manager and its reporting database, called the Decision Support Repository (DSR). Provider includes a set of frequently used reports you can run. You can also write your own reports against the Provider database in any ODBC-compliant report writer. If you write your own reports in Crytal Reports (TM) version 8.5, 9, or 10, you can embed them in Provider so that users can run them directly from that application. The DSR is a SQL database containing a subset of the data in your Provider database. The DSR aggregates and transforms Provider data to make it ideal for reporting. Its client application, Reports Manager, facilitates the management, distribution, and viewing of all reports written against the DSR.

7 Is the accounting system a separate offering or is it integrated within the software?
Billing and accounts receivable functions are integrated into the software. General accounting/financial functionality (General Ledger, AP, Payroll, etc.) are integrated through a partnership with Microsoft Dynamics–Great Plains.

1. How secure is Provider?
Provider provides security features at the following levels:

• Network—Only users who have been set up on your network can gain access to the application.
• Application—Our security administration module requires users and user groups to be defined to permit access to the application.
• Database—Users must be defined at the database level to log into the database. Additionally, permissions defined at the database level are used to determine access permissions to the various tables in the database. Blind logons and encrypted passwords are used to connect from the application to the database, so that users are never made aware of this information. This prohibits inappropriate access to the database from outside of the application.
• On-Screen Security—Sometimes referred to as role-based security, it is used to determine the modules, screens or windows, and individual fields that are visible and editable by individual users or groups of users.
• Row-based Security—Using security templates, row-based security determines the specific patient/client records that a given user or group of users can access. An example of one such template is a listed-clinician view, which only grants access for a user to patients for whom he or she is listed on the treatment team.

2. Does the system security use the operating system and network security or is there a separate internal security system?
Provider’s security module uses SQL Server authentication, to which is added its own security management module. We do not use Windows network authentication. However, a valid user must have appropriate network security rights to gain access to the database.

3. Does the system provide internal auditing of data modifications to the field level, if necessary?
Yes, data access is logged at the screen level as part of our security database. Printing is also logged. Field-level logging is also available for some, but not all, fields. Provider’s security module also logs unsuccessful login attempts.